Ready To Eat

Used Ready to eat for my Canadian Thanksgiving family dinner for 12.
We ordered a full traditional dinner, Turkey, stuffing with all the trimmings. The food was superb!
Can not say enough for the service and quality.

Pros: Everything

Cons: Nothing

Posted 10/18/09

I just wanted to say that Ready to Eat, on Hudson Street, in NYC,
catered my daughter Ana's wedding on a rooftop in Brooklyn this past
weekend, and they were fabulous. Under the calm and positive and
skillful leadership of Joseph Laurro, they helped to create an event
that was amazing, with delicious food, great service, fine bar, great
staff, everything cared for - all under circumstances that were at
times a bit challenging. We had no wedding planner, so were reliant
on Joseph's expertise, and were delighted. Just wanted you to know.

Pros: everything

Cons: none

Posted 08/19/09

When I couldn't book our usual space for a dinner meeting, I decided to hold it at home, with food provided by Ready to Eat. It was my first time, and I was not disappointed. Everything arrived on time and packaged beautifully. Their web site was easy to navigate, and when I phoned them, the advice and recommendations from the head of catering were terrific. My guests raved about everything - delicious food -- and lots of it, great variety, beautifully presented. We had appetizers of little crab cakes, and lamb kebabs, each with its own special dipping sauce; for main course, from the "fancy buffet" we had a large, luscious filet of beef, shrimps in a brandy sauce, the most fabulous roast potatoes you've ever had, and more. It will be hard to get my people back to our corporate space in the future! Did I mention the reasonable prices?

Pros: Great web site; great service; delicious food, great prices.

Cons: None.

Posted 02/11/09

Went to a friend's cocktail party catered by Ready To Eat and had some
of the most delicious hours devours. Delicatable crab cakes with tarter sauce.
Risotto squares with marinara sauce that were to die for. Also a puff
pastry with venison in a wine reduction sauce, not to mention the delicious
spanikopita and a corn cake topped with salsa and goat cheese. I shall be
spreading this yummy news. Thank you Ready To Eat.

Pros: everthing

Cons: none

Posted 01/21/09

I go to Ready to Eat a few times a week. Their grilled veggie salad is my entree of choice. Their wraps and desserts look amazing although I've never tried them. The place is super small, but they do have a few tables where you can eat inside. Sometimes the line gets long and they don't really move at a faster pace, but it's not really that big of a deal.

It's a bit more expensive than your average take out, but it's worth it. Go try it.

Pros: restaurant quality food with fast food speed

Cons: they aren't particularly friendly, very small - gets crowded

Posted 12/16/08

I have used Ready to Eat to cater parties for the last few years. The menu is scrumptious, the waiters are uber-helpful and Joseph in particular has the patience of Job and the creativity of...well...someone creative!! I am never disappointed with RTE and will continue to use them forever.

They have catered my holiday party for the last three years and my guests are always as happy with the menu as they are with the waitstaff. I even joke that they're happier to see the cater waiters than me! They help with everything from walking around bites to setting up stations, making drinks...even taking away the empty pans once they're gone. Angels in black, they are!

Can't wait to have them cater my next event -- nor can my guests!

Pros: Great menu, excellent service, fantastic wait staff

Posted 09/19/08

This is THE BEST catering service ever!! They catered a 60th birthday party for 30 people in our tiny NYC apartment, and made the space feel like it was more than enough. I dealt with Joseph from the Catering department. Joseph could not have been more perfect. He helped put together the menu which was uniformly delicious. All our guests raved about the food. We used Joseph's recommendations and everything tasted fresh, healthy, and delicious. He also helped us rent all our party needs. The wait staff was perfect! They arrived early, set everything up, served hor d'oerves unobtrusively and pleasantly, decorated the table for our buffet dinner, and anticipated and met our every need. They kept me out of the kitchen all night and really made me feel like a guest. When they left, there was literally nothing left to do! I will be using Ready To Eat for all my future catering needs.

Pros: Fresh, healthy, and delicious food choices. Very helpful. Reasonable prices for high-quality product

Cons: None!

Posted 05/18/08

We hired Ready To Eat to cater my daughter's Bat Mitzvah reception in our home, based on the strong reviews here. They were absolutely terrific. We worked with the catering directors (first Myra, then Joseph) to develop a menu of hors d'oeuvres and platters that would be welcoming, but low-key and not fancy, with tweaks on traditional favorites - mini-latkes with sour cream and caviar, smoked salmon tea sandwiches - and old-fashioned crowd-pleasers like cheese puffs, pigs-in-a-blanket, spring rolls and mini-knishes. Not kosher, but we didn't want kosher. The wait staff was warm and professional. They did all the set-up while we were out at the synagogue and it was perfect. There was never a wait at the bar, the food was well paced and they circulated to everyone. The job they did on clean up, both during the party, picking up empty cups and napkins, and afterwards, putting the apartment back together, was amazing. I'm still in shock at how little work we had to do when they left. Everyone loved the food. My daughter and her friends were so happy that the wait staff did not forget them when they were all holed up in her room - by the end of the party they were all calling out to the staff captain "Raaoouul! My man!" and asking for his card so they could get their parents to hire that caterer and specifically request Raoul. Working with Ready To Eat was a great experience, and I highly recommend them.

Pros: Delicious food, professional event planning help and wait staff, very reasonable prices

Cons: None

Posted 01/27/08

I had to organize a holiday reception and Ready to Eat was ready to make me look great. They were so flexible and responsive -- it was a pleasure to work with them. I will definitely use them again and again.

You won't be disappointed!

Thanks to everyone at Ready to Eat!
Brenda

Posted 12/12/07

Just got married in Manhattan and had Ready to Eat cater the event, after an extensive search. We were talking with several caterers and disappointment for the most part with either the food or unreliability of other caterers. Myra was great, unfront, no nonsense and friendly. I didn't feel like I was buying a used car. She pulled our party together and was professional and reliable throughout the process. Everything arrived as planned and the food was FANTASTIC! Everyone made coments about the lamb kabobs and the sesame noobles in particular. Thanks Stephen for pleasing 110 guests with your culinary skills. We will be back.

Laura O L

Pros: Great Food at Affordable Prices

Cons: Not too many chicken dish selections

Posted 11/27/07

Used them for an important business cocktail party we were throwing for 50 people in my apartment on a Sunday night. Needed delicious food, with great service staff that wouldn't need hand-holding. That was totally what happened, and I couldn't be happier. Myra in the office was efficient and friendly, organized exactly what I needed on 5 days' notice. i was very pleased with their fair pricing and there were no unexpected/inflated charges, etc. The staff arrived on time (so good looking, too!) and totally knew what to do and were totally relaxed and in control and lovely with the guests. Totally took all the stress off me so I could attend to my guests without needing to manage the staff. And to cap it all off, the food was delicious. So many guests commented on how yummy it was. Would definitely use again!

Pros: Great service, delicious food, very fair pricing

Cons: none!

Posted 11/18/07

I found 'Ready To Eat' when I did my share of google research. I had to organize a corporate event and needed an excellent catering service. When I came across Ready To Eat's website I picked up the phone right away. Myra, the catering director is a delight to deal with. She was always friendly and even referred me to a wide range of other services that I needed to check on (e.g. security provider, certain glass ware...). The food was plenty and delicious. And the bartender was fun! I felt the event was a success and that's what I heard from colleagues and clients alike. Thanks Myra!

Posted 10/31/07

A friend recommended Ready to Eat and I booked them to cater our housewarming party for 30 people a month in advance. Concerned whether we would have enough food, I asked the catering director for a few alternative choices and although she said she would speak to the chef and get back to me within two business days, she instead took a week to get back to me, only to propose serving sandwiches, despite a sizable budget ($100/person) and my clearly telling her I wanted this to be a special event! Maybe cocktails and cold cuts go great together, but I just could not take the chance of being so off the mark one week before the party. Instead I scrambled to find a new caterer who within 12 hours on a Friday night came up with a revised and much more original menu including more food and more services for less money (the event is next weekend so I'll post a review then). We hired a caterer to relieve us of stress and hassle, so clearly this was a pretty miserable experience for us. But in fairness to RTE, the owner, Steven, was very understanding of my aggravation and told me the catering director was new, that she never discussed the matter with him and that they have had no other complaints. If you decide to use them- I've heard good things- just make sure your menu is set early on and stay on top of them.

Pros: Food has a good reputation

Cons: Service is poor

Posted 09/21/07

For the first time, we decided to try Ready to eat. And for sure, it will not be the last one. Paul-Owner has an amazing taste, I was impressed by every thing he created from the dishes presentation, his fresh ingredients, to his reasonable prices. The food and the dessert were amazing , but their filet mignon was deligtful the same as their steamed vegtabeles. In brief, Ready to eat pleased our company staff and the most important thing they are accurate and on time.

Pros: it all was great

Cons: none

Posted 07/29/07

I called Ready to Eat after reading the citysearch reviews to cater my husband's 35th birthday party. Paul (one of the owners) was extremely helpful on the phone and invited me in for a tasting. He worked closely with me to pick the menu, and told me not to worry about anything else. He was 100% right! They took care of everything and it was unbelievable. The wait staff Paul sent over were perfect- helpful, polite and hard working. They took care of everything and when they left everything was spotless. My friends are all calling and asking about the food. Everything was original, fresh and delicious. I highly recommend Ready to Eat for any event and Paul was a tremendous help with the planning. There is no doubt I will be using Ready to Eat for my next party!

Pros: Service, food, menu,

Posted 02/25/07

I called on Monday and begged for help with a dinner party for 16 that Thursday in my home. I was overwhelmed at work, sick kids, etc. and asked Ready to Eat to take care of everything. I had used them before to cater a cocktail party and we also take out food from their shop so I knew the food was spectacular, but I had never used the "full" service with dish/glass rentals and servers. I can't rave enough about the job they did: they expertly guided me through menu choices, the rentals were delivered on time and in spotless condition, the servers showed up right on time and were so professional and efficient that I did absolutely nothing but enjoy my guests. Every need was attended to and drinks were refilled almost before you realized they were close to empty. Almost every guest remarked upon the level of service and the quality and presentation of the food. When the party was over my apartment was spotless and everything had been packed up and away. My husband and I literally said goodnight to the last guests, turned off the lights and went to bed. For tremendous service, quality and value, I highly recommend Ready to Eat!

Pros: Quality, professionalism, service

Posted 12/01/06

They did my wedding buffet. They were great! I was totally able to let them do their job. They served, cleaned, served, and smiled. The entire team was professional! I thank them for their wonderful food and service. I will use them again!

Posted 05/16/06

i love everything about ready to eat because what's not to love? the quality of the food is terrific and the seasonings and preparation are what i want in high quality catered and take out food. last but not least are the people who are part of the business-they care about satisfying me and are always eager to offer suggestions that fit the bill. i use them heavily for corporate events and wish they had a hells kitchen location so i could join them for dinner!

Pros: Well priced, Quality, Service

Cons: Only downtown

Posted 05/25/05

If you ever crave a 'home cooked" meal but to go, this is the place. You can get a sandwich or you can get fresh poached salmon with grean beans and mashed potatoes. Everything is fresh and made that day. And the lemonade was the only thing that could quench my thirst all this summer! Try it, you won't be disappointed. My company is addicted to it. They need to open more places like this around the city.

Posted 10/15/02